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With nearly four decades in the video game business, Nintendo's backlog of characters and games is vast. The 1980s alone introduced a majority of Nintendo's most iconic heroes. However, not all stuck, and many has-beens fell by the wayside with the decline of 8-bit gaming. Nowhere is this better represented than in late-life NES mascot and StarTropics hero, Mike Jones.

Mike sporting his signature weapon of choice, the Island Yo-yo.​

Created by leading Nintendo engineer and Punch-Out!! creator Genyo Takeda, Mike, an all-American high school baseball player from Seattle, is the unassuming star of the StarTropics series. A boy of famous ties, his uncle is world-renowned archeologist Dr. Steve Jones, who, upon hearing word of Mike's graduation from high school, invites him out on a vacation to the Southern tropics, where he's been investigating an ancient cipher. Things would soon go awry however, as, upon arriving in the islands, Mike is informed by the natives that his uncle has mysteriously vanished. Equipped with a powerful yo-yo for self-defense, his uncle's personal sub, and the courage of the Southern stars, Mike embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of Dr. J's abduction.

These events set the stage for StarTropics, a story-driven action-adventure RPG reminiscent in gameplay to the Zelda series, and the only internally-developed Nintendo game never released in Japan. Variety is the name of the game in StarTropics; as its marketing emphasizes, each chapter has a new puzzle to solve, be it navigating the maze-like insides of a whale, decoding a parrot's musical riddle, or even dipping the game's physical packaging in water to reveal a secret code. StarTropics was ahead of its time in doing away with archaic "level" structuring and establishing a freeform style that allowed for more sophisticated storytelling, something scarcely seen on the NES. Certainly, this focus on dynamic gameplay and story is what sets it apart from most arcade-minded fare of the time, and is one reason the series continues to attract new fans to this day.

Upon its early 1991 release, StarTropics was met with critical acclaim. Many, Nintendo included, expected it to be the biggest hit since The Legend of Zelda. However, despite the positive critical response, the stars hadn't aligned for Mike Jones. Thanks to the game's ill-timed release date, it came right as the NES was being phased out and the Super Nintendo was moving in -- a fatal blow to the game's consumer base. Additionally, brand recognition was a major problem for StarTropics, as, being a brand new franchise, it was much more difficult to market than sequels to pre-established games, something Nintendo often relied on near the end of the NES's mainstream life.

Nintendo Power seems to agree.​

Ultimately, StarTropics made underwhelming returns for Nintendo. Plans for a sequel were given the boot in 1991, and it seemed to many that Nintendo had quietly put an end to the franchise as years wore on. Fortunately, StarTropics fans would get their wish in 1994 with the revival of once-canned sequel Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II -- so named for the first game's twist antagonist, Zoda -- finally completed and released as an NES filler title in the console's dying breaths. Unsurprisingly, however, this would mark the end of the franchise.
As the lowest-grossing Nintendo IP in history and the only never released in Japan, StarTropics is, technically, the most obscure Nintendo franchise ever created. Despite its status as a major first-party NES release, it remains one of the extremely few Nintendo games which has never been referenced in any other game since, including the Smash series. Truly, few to none have been as utterly forgotten as Mike Jones. Though doubtful, many hold on to hope that the character might someday return to his rightful place as a Nintendo mascot.

To better understand the circumstances surrounding StarTropics in Japan, we first need to dive into the history of the game and its creators.

By the late eighties, four "research and development" divisions had been established at Nintendo: R&D1, which developed the bulk of the company's software; R&D2, which designed the Famicom and developed ports; R&D3, responsible for tech and hardware, as well as a few games; and R&D4, the personal team of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Genyo Takeda, an engineer who joined Nintendo in the early 70s and designed some of the company's first games, reigned over R&D3, the smallest and techiest of the divisions. Though often overlooked for their small software output, R&D3 was a vital asset to Nintendo. They produced several pieces of tech wizardry for the company, such as the Famicom & NES's "save battery" cartridge technology, among other chips that bolstered the power of the console.

Takeda inspecting an "Ultra 64" prototype, ca. 1995.​

In 1983, Takeda and his team were assigned to their first game development project, an arcade title required to use two display monitors simultaneously. Takeda, long enamored with American culture and the Western market, settled on an American sport for the game's premise: boxing. In collaboration with Shigeru Miyamoto, who provided designs for the game's numerous characters, the project developed into Punch-Out!!, which would quickly become one of Nintendo's greatest arcade hits, as well as their first aimed primarily at American audiences.

Given the success of the arcade game, a Famicom port was inevitable. However, Takeda and his team had a problem -- while Miyamoto and an outsourced animation studio assisted with production of Punch-Out!!'s character graphics, R&D3 was comprised entirely of engineers and programmers, devoid of artists or designers outside of Takeda himself, meaning development of the Famicom version would require new talent. Their solution came in young graphic designer Makoto Wada, a new hiree assigned to R&D3 in 1986.

Under the wing of Takeda, Wada adapted the large, expressive character sprites of the arcade original to the Famicom, creating one of the most stunning visual presentations ever seen on the console up to that point. Additionally, Wada provided designs for two very important additions to the Famicom version of Punch-Out!!, Little Mac and his trainer, Doc Louis. Takeda and Wada developed a close working relationship over the course of the game's production.

Wada never left game development -- as a scriptwriter for the Animal Crossing series, he still works at Nintendo.​

Like its arcade counterpart, Punch-Out!! was clearly geared towards American audiences in its utilization of real-life boxer and heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. In fact, unlike the rest of the world, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! only saw limited release in Japan in the form of a special gold-plated cartridge, awarded as a prize for a Famitsu contest.

Upon its 1987 US release, the game was wildly successful. Selling 3 million copies by the end of the NES's life, Punch-Out!! proved Takeda's belief that games designed specifically for the Western market could succeed just as well as their Japanese counterparts. Nevertheless, Takeda felt that the concept could be pushed further -- the Punch-Out!! series had merely been a test. His next project, once again in collaboration with Wada, would be their biggest, baddest, most ambitious foray into the Western market yet.

Enter StarTropics. In 1989, the Zelda series was still Nintendo's most popular franchise among Western audiences -- it was clear to Takeda that adventure games were the future, and he felt Nintendo wasn't capitalizing on the genre as much as they ought to. Thus, Takeda went to work designing his very own Americanized take on the adventure RPG, using Miyamoto's The Legend of Zelda as foundation. Development began somewhat unusually, as, rather than simply laying out a premise and then focusing on game design, Takeda produced an English screenplay detailing the plot & characters, a first for the video game medium. This unprecedented focus on story would contribute strongly to the final game's cinematic qualities.

Having a personal interest in American culture and entertainment, Takeda was heavily influenced by Hollywood sci-fi and action cinema during the writing process for StarTropics. The game contains a number of references to Indiana Jones, such as the multiple exotic action setpieces modeled after the films, as well as the namesake of Mike's thrillseeking archeologist uncle, Dr. Jones. Alien was an influence as well, particularly in the 2nd form of Zoda, which Wada designed in the likeness of the Xenomorph.

This preliminary design sketch depicts Zoda quite differently from the final game.​

By mid-1990, StarTropics was well into development and nearing its deadline. Unfortunately, due to the scope of the game, R&D3 needed more time, and it was ultimately delayed -- a decision that would seal its fate as a commercial flop and ensure the game would never see additional release in Japan, as the Super Famicom was already out. Even so, Takeda, expecting great things from the game, was already pitching ideas for a sequel. Later that year, Takeda brought on two writers from Nintendo of America, George Sinfield and Brian Ullrich, to help write the game. Over the next several months, Takeda and his writers collaborated on a screenplay for what would eventually become Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II.

Upon StarTropics's disappointing performance in 1991, however, work on Zoda's Revenge was seemingly shelved due to concerns that it would befall the same fate as the first game. Little is known of the game's development past this point, but it's assumed that it had been canceled until 1994, when Nintendo released a small series of filler titles to move the last of their NES 2/NES Toploader stock, Zoda's Revenge being among them. Wada, taking over as creative director for the team, filled in for Takeda as director, as Takeda was occupied with development of the Nintendo 64 at this time.

Zoda's Revenge would be the penultimate game in R&D3's game development career, 1996's Pilotwings 64 being their final. Afterward, Takeda moved on to work strictly as a hardware designer and later as the company's head tech adviser until his retirement in 2017.
Wada relocated to other teams, where he took up scriptwriting. He still works at Nintendo to this day, as the last remaining relic of the StarTropics series. Interestingly, in a 2008 "Iwata Asks" interview, Wada appears to hesitate when asked which games he had previously worked on at R&D3, decidedly avoiding any mention of the series.

StarTropics holds an extremely odd place in Nintendo history. Due to its origins as what was essentially a regional marketing experiment handled by a very small, confined group of people at Nintendo (R&D3), most of whom are no longer involved with game development, it's little wonder that no conversations about reviving the series or even referencing it have come up in the 25 years since the franchise was put to rest. However, to say that Nintendo has seemingly singled it out as an "unmentionable" despite the troves of other, less revered games that continue to get Super Smash Bros. references would be an understatement; to this day, absolutely no mention of StarTropics or anything to do with it has ever been made in the original Japanese version of a Nintendo game. As far as Japan is concerned, it never existed. Nintendo of America has been the sole provider of StarTropics acknowledgment, with Virtual Console re-releases on the Wii and Wii U, the inclusion of the first game in the NES Classic Edition, and an obligatory listing of both games in the localized version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl's "chronicle".

This raises one big question: why? While the series may only be recognized by American audiences as a classic, this doesn't justify its complete ostracization. Nintendo has been more than happy to reference Japan-exclusive games in the West, most notably in the inclusion of Mother 3 protagonist Lucas in the Smash series, but the opposite has been true of Western titles. It seems somewhat unfair to create an unlevel playing field between America and Japan since, while Japan may be Nintendo's primary audience, the US represents an extremely important pillar of the company and a large portion of their audience ever since the 80s. In many ways, it's an interesting commentary on the contrasting philosophies of Genyo Takeda and Nintendo; Takeda's prime goal as a game developer was to establish the US as an equal to the Japanese market, something that's never been pursued since.

Besides StarTropics, Nintendo's treatment of other games from Takeda and R&D3 also raises some eyebrows. Pilotwings 64, created as a launch title for the Nintendo 64 and overseen by Miyamoto, was developed primarily in Japanese unlike many of R&D3's titles, and did ultimately see release in Japan. Nevertheless, Makoto Wada managed to sneak in a character of Western origin, Nintendo Power's Nester, to "universalize" its appeal. Lo and behold, Pilotwings 64 has never been referenced since, and is one of the very few N64 titles in Nintendo's library which has been consistently ignored for a Virtual Console re-release -- a very curious pattern. Additionally, in 2016, Punch-Out!! was strangely excluded from the Famicom Classic Edition, despite its presence on the NES version in North America.

Though it may seem contrived that Nintendo might have some sort of internal agenda against Takeda's Westernized games, it's certainly a possibility, since, outside of the "no Western-only releases can ever be acknowledged in Japan" rule, there is no better explanation for why the works of R&D3 in particular have been consistently ignored time and time again. Even Punch-Out!! has suffered from this, despite its presence in non-Western territories; hadn't the series been rebooted by Next Level Games, it's unlikely that the series ever would have been seen again, let alone made it into Smash.StarTropics fans can only hope for a similar miracle if the series is ever to break free of its Western bondage. Until that point, Mike Jones and co. will likely remain tucked away with the rest of Nintendo's forgotten heroes.

Of the few patterns to character selection that have been present in every single roster since Melee, the "retro rep" slot is perhaps the most coveted of all in Smash. Given its ability to bring nearly any Nintendo franchise back from the grave, few spots are as highly contested as the retro rep, particularly among Japan-only characters such as Takamaru of The Mysterious Murasame Castle or Joy Mech Fight's Sukapon. Amid such a diverse selection of classic characters, it may be difficult, then, to understand what all's so special about Mike "Captain America" Jones.

At first glance, Mike will appear to many to be nothing more than a Ness clone, given their eerily similar traits. Under the surface, however, the intentions of the characters are quite different; where Ness is a Peanuts-esque parody of American culture, Mike, much like his predecessor Little Mac, is a sincere celebration of it. A love letter to Hollywood's favorite "underdog kid" character archetype, Mike is the definitive representation of American culture and a perfect foil to the troves of fantasy-based characters that make up Smash. As the only US-exclusive Nintendo hero, Mike's addition would not only break new ground, but greatly expand the horizons of the Smash series going forward.

In addition to his unique place among Nintendo heroes as the number one "American guy", Mike also checks off one of the most difficult boxes for a retro character: personality. Considering the often primitive origins of arcade-era heroes, many characters of the time tend to lack a well-defined personality, design, or general set of traits beyond weapons & abilities. Fortunately, Mike manages to subvert these expectations entirely. Thanks to the rich characterization and storytelling of the StarTropics series, Mike is a fully-realized hero who, unlike the typical "silent protagonist", has his very own dialogue and character arc. There's a reason the player's name isn't stamped onto Mike -- clever, quirky, and always raring for a thrill, Mike is no blank slate.

Unlike many Nintendo oldies, the ever-eccentric Mike is still as brimming with personality as he was back in 1991.​

Of course, Mike's character is only the tip of the iceberg; perhaps his greatest strength as a retro character comes from his gargantuan moveset potential. While many retro reps suffer from a lack of source material beyond one or two signature abilities, Mike's rich personality is complemented by a massive arsenal of weapons, tools, and unique gameplay mechanics spanning his two NES adventures.
For instance, StarTropics makes use of a health-based power system. Relative to Mike's current health, the range and attack power of his weapon will decrease as he takes damage. At his strongest, Mike wields the Supernova; after taking a little damage, the Shooting Star; and at his weakest, the short-ranged Island Yo-yo. In Smash, this risk-reward mechanic would function as an opposite to Lucario's "Aura", as Mike's yo-yo attacks weaken relative to his percentage.

In addition to the health mechanic, one of StarTropics's defining features lies in its use of grid-based delayed movement. Upon tapping a direction on the D-pad, Mike won't immediately begin moving -- instead, he'll simply face that direction without moving from his current position. Only by holding down the direction will he start walking. This allows Mike to, while moving from one space on the grid to another, turn and attack in several different directions as he maneuvers around enemies, giving battles a more methodical, strategy-based feel. This might be represented in Smash by slippery ground control as well as the ability to turn in midair without halting his forward momentum, granting Mike stronger zoning capabilities than the average fighter.

In StarTropics, Mike could turn while hopping or walking to counterattack foes from any angle.​

With a bevy of weapons at his disposal, there are an innumerable amount of different ways Mike could be realized as a fighter. In his original adventure, Mike's weapons included a trademark combat yo-yo & morning star, horsehide baseballs, a baseball bat, pair of cleats, bolas, and much more. During the time-hopping quest of Zoda's Revenge, Mike also obtains several period-specific weapons, such as a caveman's axe, an Egyptian dagger, and throwing stars, as well as a psychic shockwave projectile.

Naturally, the yo-yo is an obvious pick for Mike's primary weapon. Being a prodigy at baseball, Mike combines his skills as a pitcher with conventional yo-yo tricks to "pitch" it full-force at his opponents, to an effect similar to that of Simon Belmont's whip. As damage knockback is nonexistent in the StarTropics series, this also entails that yo-yo attacks deal little knockback, offset by high speed that allows Mike to rushdown his opponents in the same manner as the original games. To compensate for low kill power, a roundhouse swing from Mike's trusty baseball bat may do the trick, while the horsehide keeps his foes at bay.

With dozens of tools and gizmos, Mike brings a lot to the table for Smash.​

Beyond his strengths as a potential fighter, the greatest calling for Mike's addition, perhaps, simply stems from the rich history of StarTropics and its individuality from so many other franchises in the Nintendo legacy. Most retro reps of the Smash series have some sort of historical significance -- for instance, Ice Climbers represent the "Black Box" Famicom line, Mr. Game & Watch harkens back to Nintendo's very first handhelds, R.O.B. and Duck Hunt both signify Famicom accessories, etc. -- which, being Nintendo's first and last American character from their only US-exclusive series, Mike certain qualifies for.
While there may be a near endless amount of great candidates for the retro rep spot, many of whom don't have much going for them beyond moveset potential. Mike, on the other hand, not only works excellently as a fighter, but also brings along with him a criminally overlooked series which represents a part of Famicom-era history not yet repped in Smash: games made for the American market. Much like Smash did for Western audiences with the Mother series, Mike would also introduce Japanese fans to a rare piece of Nintendo history previously unknown to them.

Despite being so highly qualified for the retro rep slot, many of these qualifications also mark Mike's downfall. Nintendo seems to blacklist any mention of games released exclusively in the West, as, of the few internally developed Nintendo games that fall into this category -- namely Gumshoe, Balloon Kid, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, and, of course, the StarTropics series -- none of them have ever been referenced in another Nintendo game since, including the Smash series. Unless this odd prejudice against acknowledging Western games is lifted, which seems more and more unlikely as time goes on, there's little to no chance that a character like Mike, regardless of his many merits, will ever be considered for Smash.
If not a case of outright prejudice, it's also possible that Japanese Nintendo teams simply aren't aware of the existence of the series, as, unlike Nintendo of America, there likely isn't any sort of archival evidence that the games even existed beyond word of mouth from ex-R&D3 employees, who, with the exception of StarTropics character designer Makoto Wada, aren't involved with game development anymore, let alone Smash. This theory is further supported by the absence of any StarTropics representation in Ultimate's "Spirits" feature, which was supposedly put together by a special sect of the Smash team that researched Nintendo's release history to an extreme degree.

All things considered, Mike's only realistic chance of being considered for Smash lies in fan support. Given the influence it's had on Ultimate's character selection, as well as its proven ability to bring even the most forgotten characters back from the grave, there remains a small chance that, with the combined efforts of fan outcry and Nintendo of America as a messenger, Mike Jones might someday get his chance at Nintendo all-stardom. The road to success may be long, but it certainly isn't impossible; with one of the oldest and largest dedicated fandoms of any retro Nintendo franchise, Mike has maintained a small, yet steadily growing support base ever since the Brawl era. As the "Kremling Kutthroat" campaign proved, anything is possible in the age of social media.

The following is a collection of purely fanon fighters, stages, trophies, songs, and Spirits illustrating how StarTropics might function in Smash, devised by yours truly. I can't guarantee any of this will ever see completion, but I may chisel away at it every once in a while.

If you'd like to have your own ideas added, just say the word!

WIP

WIP

WIP

Note: Written to fit Brawl's trophy format.

Mike Jones

A 15-year-old high school baseball player from Seattle and the nephew of famous archeologist Dr. Jones. After his vacation to the tropics was cut short by the disappearance of his uncle, Mike set out to unravel the mystery, sending him on a wild tropical adventure. A master of improvisation, Mike utilizes many unusual tools in battle, among them a yoyo, mirror, and pair of cleats.

NES StarTropics (US and Europe Only)

NES Zoda’s Revenge: StarTropics II (US Only)

Southern Cross

Mike’s Final Smash. This mystical constellation of the Southern skies watches over Mike from afar, instilling him with courage and power. When Mike uses the Smash Ball, the Southern Cross channels its energy into a devastating beam of light. Watch your aim – it only lasts a moment!

Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Zoda

An evil being of many forms and powers, Zoda is the leader of a militaristic alien nation bent on intergalactic domination. His attempts to wipe out the last of the Argonian people landed him on earth, where he was continually thwarted by Mike Jones. Like his appearance, much of Zoda’s past remains shrouded in mystery, but he’ll risk anything for a chance at revenge.

NES StarTropics (US and Europe Only)

NES Zoda’s Revenge: StarTropics II (US Only)

Zoda-Z

Zoda’s Final Smash. In a surge of power, Zoda loses the cloaked visage and bulks up to reveal his unmasked form, a hulking humanoid with reptilian features. He can perform two attacks in this state: a drill-like spinning move, and a bolt of lightning. Once time’s up, Zoda will turn back to normal.

NES Zoda’s Revenge: StarTropics II (US Only)

Island Yo-yo

Mike’s weapon of choice, gifted to him by Chief Coralcola. A powerful relic passed down by generations on C-Island, many are deceived by its toy-like appearance – don’t be fooled!
In Super Smash Bros., Mike instead wields the longer-ranged Supernova at the start of a battle. After sustaining at least 30% damage, it reverts to the Island Yo-yo again, so take advantage of the increased power while it lasts.

NES StarTropics (US and Europe Only)

Mica

The eldest daughter of Hirocon and princess of planet Argonia. When Zoda waged war on the Argonians, Hirocon foresaw defeat and sent his children away to earth – Mica included – in time-frozen cubes. Zoda sought out the children but was intercepted by earthling Mike Jones, who Mica would later assist telepathically during the quest to find her father. She’s implied to have feelings for Mike.

Moderator

While the Star Tropics games are harder than I expected (I can't get past the lava boss for the first game, and the controls are a bit slippery for the second), he's still one of the three retro characters that I'd really like to see in Smash, so count me in for supporting him!

After the release of Zoda's revenge, the series has also been dormant for over 20 years, with the only things done with the franchise are the re-releases of the games on the Wii Virtual Console (the VC release of Startropics 2 was the first time Europe got the game) and Startropics 1 beign included in the NES Classic​

Smash Master

I think it would have meant more if ST has been added ti the Famicom Mini. But japanese are very protective of their past, so having that instead of any other game from their childhood would have been sacrilegeous.

I like those outfits! Particularly the red one, not only because he uses that color/pattern when he's disguised as a girl, but also, because that's the color and pattern used for the Island chieves. (They Even have rugs designed that way).

Also, I would have added a yellow shirt one for when he gets the anklet. But these are pretty good. Digging the in-game palette one.

Deleted member

Guest

If Startropics got the Kid Icarus treatment (beign included in Smash and then got a new game) how would they bring it back?

Kid Icarus was like a Sister game to Metroid, and yet Uprising was completely distinct from what came before. This makes me believe that there are 2 options:

1.An old school game with modern graphics but with the same gameplay from previous installments, similar to New Super Mario Bros, A Link Between Worlds and DKC Returns.

2.A brand new style of gameplay that takes a more "modern approach". Maybe a third person action adventure similar to 3D's Zelda games pre-BOTW, with more focus on Platforming and Combat instead of just Puzzle Solving.

What option do you think they would take? and option would you prefer?

Smash Rookie

Zoda's Revenge is one of my favorite games, so of course I'd love to see Mike make it into Smash. I'm surprised he isn't getting a lot of love. I'd like to see him use his many weapons and psychic abilities in his move set, the only thing I worry about is that he has may come off like Ness. Nevertheless, I think the should be able to differentiate the two from each other. You have my support.

Advance Wars is the new Mother 3

If Startropics got the Kid Icarus treatment (beign included in Smash and then got a new game) how would they bring it back?

Kid Icarus was like a Sister game to Metroid, and yet Uprising was completely distinct from what came before. This makes me believe that there are 2 options:

1.An old school game with modern graphics but with the same gameplay from previous installments, similar to New Super Mario Bros, A Link Between Worlds and DKC Returns.

2.A brand new style of gameplay that takes a more "modern approach". Maybe a third person action adventure similar to 3D's Zelda games pre-BOTW, with more focus on Platforming and Combat instead of just Puzzle Solving.

What option do you think they would take? and option would you prefer?

I feel that the Startropics of the early 90's wouldn't translate well in today's age. I think Startropics as a 3D-esque action adventure game is a much better fit for the series. What you described basically was Megaman Legends which I think would work great for Startropics. That and the fact that I happen to love Megaman Legends lol.

Smash Master

I feel that the Startropics of the early 90's wouldn't translate well in today's age. I think Startropics as a 3D-esque action adventure game is a much better fit for the series. What you described basically was Megaman Legends which I think would work great for Startropics. That and the fact that I happen to love Megaman Legends lol.

See You Next Year, Baby

Though their proposal is more that StarTropics should take traditional Zelda's place for the future because of Breath of the Wild being the new standard for Zelda. Would any of you agree with this or would you rather have StarTropics be its own thing?

Smash Ace

Smash Apprentice

It’s such a shame his series was left behind, you can just tell it was blooming but it seems like releasing the sequel late into the NES’ life hurt it. At least that’s what I understood from your description.

Smash Ace

I'm gonna be honest, the NES rep I'm rooting for is Takamaru, but Mike Jones is a close second; at least he's certainly among my top three. Put me down for Mike Jones support, I wouldn't be mad if he made it; in fact I'd be pretty hyped (as I am with all new character reveals, but you know what I mean.).

Smash Cadet

I'd love to see Mike in smash (and a new startropics game, come on Nintendo)! I feel like he's somewhat likely--his main competition is Takamaru. Balloon Fighter feels like a likely retro as an Iwata tribute and one more retro character doesn't feel unlikely. Mike and Takamaru feel like the most obvious other choices, and I hope they both get in, if that's possible!

Smash Apprentice

Now usually when it comes to retro characters, I have a select set of characters.
But lately, I've been supportive of most retro characters. And in fact Mike Jones has been in one of my previous wishlists in the past, during the development for Super Smash Bros 4. So without a doubt, I'd be happy to support him once again. Seeing how long he's been gone for, I can't help but to feel sympathy for the guy. He's had it rough for being a western exclusive Nintendo character.

The thing with him is that his game was never released in Japan, only in North America and Europe, and as for the sequel.
Not even Europe got the chance to get that sequel in psysical form, except later on when it was released on the Wii U virutal console. However, while I do believe his chances are pretty low because of fact that Sakurai has bias when it comes to Japanese exclusive characters, I still think his low chances are better than none. And that goes for most of the retro characters.

So I'm supporting this thread, and hopefully good things will come out of it. Let's hope for the best shall we? And before people compare him to Ness, and say that he's just simply a clone of him with the yo-yo's and the bat etc.... You could just argue that Mike Jones came before Ness. But nevertheless, he's not a clone and he's not a wasted "character slot", he's simply unique and special in his own right.